News

Publicity stunt: Indonesia leader gets lift from motorbike skit

Agence France-Presse
Updated as of Aug 20 11:41 AM

President Joko Widodo found himself flavor of the month on social media on Sunday as Indonesians lapped up his motorbike stunt skit at the Asian Games opening ceremony. Read more »

Ready, aim, fire: Australian diners given water pistols to ward off seagulls

Reuters
Posted at May 17 09:01 PM

PERTH, Australia - Annoyed at seagulls that pester its patrons, a restaurant in the Australian city of Perth has armed customers with water pistols to stop the birds from ruining the waterfront dining experience. Read more »

Perfect going-away gift for a frenemy? Laxative-laced brownies

Agence France-Presse
Posted at May 16 08:38 AM

CHICAGO, United States - The office going away party is normally a harmless ritual, but one employee leaving a US firm got an unwelcome surprise from a less than friendly colleague.   Read more »

Bad dog! US man shot by pet pooch

Agence France-Presse
Updated as of May 12 08:01 AM

WASHINGTON, United States - It's often said that a dog biting a man isn't news -- so one canine companion apparently decided to up the ante.   Read more »

Chicago restaurant staff get $2,000 tip

Agence France-Presse
Posted at Apr 17 06:54 AM

What is a reasonable tip at a restaurant?    Read more »

Iran military official: West used lizards for nuclear spying

Agence France-Presse
Updated as of Sep 13 06:03 PM

TEHRAN, IRAN - The former chief-of-staff of Iran's armed forces said Tuesday that Western spies had used lizards which could "attract atomic waves" to spy on the country's nuclear programme. Read more »

Cheeky smuggler caught with cocaine in 'fake buttocks' at Lisbon airport

Agence France-Presse
Updated as of Sep 13 10:09 PM

LISBON, PORTUGAL - Portuguese police have detained a man who arrived at Lisbon airport on a flight from Brazil wearing "fake buttocks" that contained about a kilo of cocaine, police and reports said Tuesday.   Read more »

LOOK: Train passengers join worldwide 'No Pants Ride'

Agence France-Presse
Updated as of Jan 08 10:59 PM

The offbeat flash mob stunt originated in New York in 2002 and has since spread around the world. Read more »

Drug dealer mistakes Danish police car for taxi, gets arrested

Agence France Presse
Posted at Dec 24 10:01 AM

A drug dealer carrying a large amount of cannabis got into a police car in Copenhagen after mistaking it for a taxi, Danish police said.  Read more »

China gets tough on long, odd company names

Agence France Presse
Posted at Aug 17 10:04 PM

After launching a campaign to eliminate public signs with poor English translations -- or "Chinglish" -- China's communist rulers are now taking aim at firms that attempt to register names that are excessively long or strange. Read more »

LOOK: Palestinian man eats snakes

Reuters
Posted at Jan 18 08:30 AM

Palestinian man Nabeel Mussa, who keeps scorpions and snakes as a hobby and eats them, has his face surrounded by a snake at his house in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia January 17, 2017. Reuters Read more »

Mexican teen expecting 1.3 million guests at birthday bash

Yemeli Ortega, Agence France-Presse
Updated as of Apr 18 12:41 PM

Rubi, a small-town Mexican teen, is expecting more than a million guests at her 15th birthday party Monday after her parents' video invitation to the milestone event went viral online. Read more »

Child finds tip of sliced finger in Japanese noodles

Agence France-Presse
Posted at Oct 13 04:56 PM

TOKYO, Japan - A child who was tucking into noodles at a popular Japanese restaurant found some extra topping in the bowl -- the tip of a sliced finger, a health official said Thursday. Read more »

End of an era: last VCR rolling off factory line

Agence France-Presse
Posted at Jul 22 12:09 PM

TOKYO, Japan - The world's last videocassette recorder is set to roll off the factory line as a Japanese manufacturer ends production of the once booming home-theatre technology. Read more »

Man eats 70 hot dogs in 10 minutes, wins contest

Agence France-Presse
Posted at Jul 05 09:38 AM

NEW YORK - Legendary competitive eater Joey "Jaws" Chestnut wolfed down a record 70 hot dogs -- buns and all -- in just 10 minutes Monday to reclaim his crown at an annual New York competition. Read more »

Russian man sues ex for $600 spent on romance

Agence France-Presse
Updated as of Jun 03 03:46 PM

MOSCOW, Russia - A man has taken his ex-girlfriend to court to recover $600 he spent on wooing her including a romantic break to Crimea, she told Russian media on Thursday. Read more »

US woman rushed to hospital with shark stuck to arm

Agence France-Presse
Updated as of May 16 07:26 PM

MIAMI - A woman in the US state of Florida was rushed to a hospital Sunday after being bitten by a shark -- with the whole animal still clutching on to her right arm, local media reported. Read more »

Let it go, say Swedish police on fart case

Agence France-Presse
Posted at Apr 01 01:43 PM

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - A Swedish woman filed a police complaint after a rejected and vindictive suitor broke wind as he stormed out of her apartment, but police found no proof of intent -- not a whiff -- and dismissed the case. Read more »

Dog lost at sea off California surfaces alive one month on

Agence France-Presse
Posted at Mar 18 11:46 AM

LOS ANGELES, United States - The US Navy was surprised this week to find a dog alive and well on an island off California a month after falling off its owner's boat. Read more »

Thai mototaxi driver nicked for nicking 4,000 knickers

Agence France-Presse
Posted at Mar 16 10:12 PM

BANGKOK, Thailand - A taxi driver accused of stealing some 4,000 items of women's underwear in Thailand has been publicly paraded by police, the second time in six years the alleged panty thief has been nabbed for fuelling his fetish. Read more »